frightfiction Chapter 233 Asking for help
Chapter 233 Asking for help
As night falls, the once bustling town gradually loses its prosperity and bustle of the day and slowly immerses itself in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
"Bang bang bang..." The crisp and rhythmic sound of the clappers just rang out, and then the familiar and old voice of the night watchman was heard: "The weather is dry, be careful with fire--" This reminder spread slowly in the quiet summer night, as if it could reach far away places.
Those who were already a little drowsy and not yet fully asleep were suddenly awakened by the sound.
At this moment, Fengying's deliberately low voice sounded quietly in front of the door of Ruyue's room: "Miss, it's already midnight, you can set off now."
As he finished speaking, the door opened slowly and Ru Yue, dressed in a black suit, appeared in front of Feng Ying in a heroic manner.
Her long hair that fell like a waterfall was now tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, completely covering up her former gentle beauty and replacing it with an imposing and heroic look.
"Okay, let's go!" Ru Yue responded briefly.
Fengying flashed with Ruyue and jumped down from the window first.
Seeing this, Ru Yue took a deep breath. Although she had seen many of these martial arts masters flying high and low in the air and climbing walls, she still felt dizzy at the moment they took off.
She couldn't help but complain in her heart, it's better to try as little as possible with this Qinggong! You know, she is neither carsick nor seasick, but it is really difficult for her to adapt to this Qinggong. She really feels dizzy.
In the darkness, An Er and An Si followed the figure in front of them like ghosts. Their bodies were as fast as lightning, and they rushed towards Ziyun Villa at a rapid speed.
In less than two quarters of an hour, Fengying had brought Ruyue to a safe stop in front of the tightly closed gate of Ziyun Villa.
This mountain villa was usually deserted, a place rarely visited by people. What's more, it was the dead of night, the middle of the night. The surroundings were completely silent, as if even the chirping of insects had disappeared without a trace.
She didn't know if it was just a psychological issue, but as soon as Ru Yue set foot on the ground, she felt an inexplicable chill rising from the depths of her heart. She shuddered involuntarily and subconsciously pulled her clothes tighter around her, trying to resist the sudden chill. "Come in!"
Fengying had been here during the day and had some knowledge of the layout of the paths in the village, so he could be said to be very familiar with the place.
She took Ru Yue and leaped over the towering gate with ease, then walked 78,000 steps without stopping through the winding path, and finally came to a simple house used to store miscellaneous items in the backyard of the manor.
"My master is here, please come out!" Fengying lowered his voice and spoke coldly.
As soon as the words fell, a slight rustling sound was heard from within the house. The door slowly opened from the inside, revealing two figures. The woman was holding a child, approximately three or four years old. Due to the darkness, the child's true face and gender could not be clearly seen.
Ru Yue turned her head to look at Feng Ying beside her with full of doubt, her eyes full of confusion and inquiry.
"Aren't you going to see my master? Can you tell me now?" Fengying has always been straightforward and frank. He is very disgusted with this person's mysterious behavior, so naturally he is too lazy to deal with them politely.
The woman said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Miss, if you don't mind, please come in and sit down. The story is a bit long. It's dark and dewy out, so please don't let the girl get cold."
Ru Yue agreed to her request without hesitation, and the group walked into the room one after another.
As soon as they entered the room, the man who had been silent all this time quietly walked to the table and gently lit the oil lamp on the table. As the dim light gradually brightened, the scene inside the room finally appeared clearly before everyone's eyes.
Ru Yue took a closer look and discovered that the house was, as she had suspected, a converted storage room. The interior was extremely sparsely furnished, with only a bed, a table, and a few tattered chairs. Furthermore, the so-called bed was simply a few wooden planks pieced together.
"Please feel free to sit down, young lady. My place is really too shabby and I don't have anything to properly entertain guests. I hope you will bear with me." As she spoke, the woman carefully sat down sideways next to one of the chairs.
Judging from her appearance, she seemed to have long been accustomed to the status of a servant, and even dared not sit upright in her chair when talking to others. However, before Ru Yue could open her mouth to ask, the woman began to narrate the whole story...
Ningshuang, the most beautiful courtesan at Yaxianglou, was once a woman of unparalleled beauty, captivating the nation. However, fate twisted her fate, and before she could be redeemed, she became pregnant with the son of the Yongning County Prince. The prince, knowing that Ningshuang was his lover, spared no expense to redeem her.
However, the Crown Prince's Consort was not a kind person. Not only was she jealous and domineering, but more importantly, her family belonged to the Duke of Zheng, a powerful and influential family with deep connections. The Crown Prince was deeply wary of her. Firstly, he feared the Crown Prince's Consort would cause a commotion upon learning of this matter; secondly, he worried that Ningshuang and her son would be persecuted by the Crown Prince's Consort. Therefore, he had no choice but to secretly place Ningshuang in this remote manor.
Six months later, Ningshuang successfully gave birth to a baby boy. Unexpectedly, before Ningshuang was out of confinement, news of the Yongning County Prince's mistress at Ziyun Villa somehow leaked out and reached the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess, upon hearing the news, stormed the door with a furious rage.
Ningshuang was terribly anxious at this sight, yet she maintained a certain composure. She acted decisively, ordering her servants to take the child and hide. Then, despite her extremely weak postpartum body, Ningshuang went to meet the Crown Prince's wife.
Unexpectedly, the princess and her followers rushed forward without asking any questions and pushed Ningshuang to the ground, and then started beating her with sticks.
Poor delicate Ningshuang, who had just experienced the pain of childbirth, how could she endure such cruel and brutal beating?
The Crown Prince, however, was out on business and had no idea what had happened in the manor. By the time he hurried back after hearing the news, it was already too late... Ningshuang ultimately could not survive the ordeal and passed away with hatred in her heart.
The Crown Prince's Consort was cruel and ruthless. Not only did she beat someone to death, she also ordered her servants to scatter in an attempt to find more clues.
Fortunately, the exceptionally intelligent Ningshuang had decisively declined the prince's advances and had not added any servants to the manor. On weekdays, only she and Daqing served closely. Even when the little prince was born, they relied entirely on the care of the child themselves, never willing to entrust the care to anyone else. Because of this, even if the prince's wife dug three feet underground, she could not find the child's whereabouts.
By the time the prince rushed back in a panic, it was already too late.
The once warm home is now deserted, leaving only frosty and cold corpses.
The prince is unable to protect even his beloved woman, so how can he protect this young and innocent child?
This was Ning Shuang's only bloodline in the world that she couldn't let go of! She would rather endure untold hardships herself than allow the child to suffer even the slightest harm, so she never dared to return the child to the Prince of Yongning.
Over the years, it was said that the prince was still secretly searching for the child's whereabouts, but the master and servants were like frightened birds, with nowhere to go. Fearing that their whereabouts would be exposed, they dared not show themselves in public. In desperation, they had no choice but to hide here, pretending to be ghosts to scare people, and only then did they find this barely safe place to live.
"What is your purpose in seeing me?" Ru Yue asked directly without any hesitation.
All she cared about was buying the farm successfully. As for things like upholding justice and standing up for the weak, she had never thought of doing so.
After all, the dispute with the Wu'an Marquisate had not yet been resolved, and she did not want to provoke a powerful enemy like the Yongning County Prince. Otherwise, wouldn't it just cause herself more trouble for no reason?
The woman suddenly fell to her knees before Ru Yue. Her face was gaunt, as if she had endured countless hardships. She looked like a dead tree, lifeless. Her eyes, in particular, were as still and silent as a pool of stagnant water, stirring pity.
"My lady! I know very well that you will definitely buy this manor. Back then, my life and Daqing's life were saved by Miss Ningshuang. We will never forget such great kindness. So no matter what, we must repay her. Now, I dare to ask you to lend a hand and help us get rid of the Prince's Consort of Yongning County. As long as you agree to help, all the treasures left by Miss Ningshuang, as well as my life and Daqing's life, will all belong to you." Before she finished speaking, the woman had already knocked her forehead heavily to the ground, making a crisp and loud sound.
The man named Daqing standing by never said a word, but he also knelt down and kowtowed along with the woman, his movements in unison, appearing extremely pious.
The child stood timidly to the side, his eyes wide open as he silently watched everyone's every move. Judging from his appearance, he must have been trained to be quite sensible over the years, knowing how to read people's expressions and understand their feelings.